Being Yoga with James Traverse is devoted to spiritual awakening and the recognition of our true nature. Rooted primarily in the non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta and informed by Kashmir Shaivism, it invites a direct exploration of who we are beyond habitual patterns of thought and identity. This inquiry unfolds within everyday life—in our relationships, activities, and ordinary moments of awareness.
Spiritual Awakening Yoga brings this exploration into embodied experience, inviting sensitivity to the body, breath, and presence. Meditation and Yoga Nidra offer complementary ways to deepen this inquiry, allowing space for stillness, relaxation, and recognition. Together, these practices support an exploration of awakening as a living reality, intimately connected with how we experience and respond to life.
Why?
Why study all this?
For peace of mind, lasting contentment and well-being.
The point is self-knowledge: wisdom that includes and transcends intellectual knowledge. Through Knowing via Being, we examine the assumption that we are separate or incomplete, and that fulfilment must always be found elsewhere.
This understanding finds expression in everyday life—in how we listen, relate, act and meet change. Peace does not require life to become free of difficulty, nor does contentment require a continuously pleasant experience.
About James Traverse
Yoga Educator
Experience & Background:
- Over 50 years of experience in the art and science of yoga
- Yoga educator and writer specializing in spiritual awakening and non-dual yoga traditions
Teaching Philosophy: James Traverse teaches “The Way of Insight” – a method focused on switching from conceiving to purely perceiving. His approach emphasizes:
- Spiritual Awakening through yoga
- Connecting mind, body, and spirit through movement, breath, and meditation
- Core Teaching: It is the nature of an error to cease once it is seen – See the error
- The error is Superimposition in the spirit of Adi Shankaracharya
- Self-discovery and experiential understanding of one’s true nature
- The experience of “Full Solid Emptiness”
We mistake verbs for nouns
We mistake verbs for nouns: we take what is happening to be a separate, fixed thing. A name is useful, yet we can mistake the name for the reality it describes.
The heart is not merely a thing that functions; “heart” names a living activity. Similarly, suffering can become fixed through identification: “I am suffering” becomes “I am a sufferer.” Seeing this does not deny pain or remove the need for care. It reveals the additional confinement created by treating a changing experience as what we are.
It is the nature of an error to cease once seen. What ceases is the mistaken understanding; the circumstances and feelings can still call for attention.
Explore this teaching in The Helical Heart and the Cosmic Om and The Noun Illusion. The heart’s anatomy and functioning provide a context for the reflection; the philosophical interpretation is distinct from a medical explanation.
Training & Influences:
- Primary teacher: Jean Klein – who initiated him in Advaita Vedanta and Kashmiri Shaivism
- Studied B.K.S. Iyengar’s method intensively for the first 15 years of his spiritual journey
- Trained in Nisarga Yoga and Yoga Nidra
- Draws heavily from the Upanishads and stories from many wisdom traditions that point to one’s True Nature
- Also influenced by: J. Krishnamurti, David Bohm, Rumi, Adi Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Atmananda Krishnamenon, and Vivekananda
Specializations:
- Yoga Nidra meditation (yogic sleep/conscious deep relaxation)
- Non-dual yoga in the Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism traditions
- Spiritual Awakening practices
- Classes include postures, commentary on the Upanishads and invitations for authentic being
Online Presence:
- Website: JamesTraverse.com and BeingYoga.com
- YouTube channel: James Traverse Yoga
- Instagram: @yoga_nidra_james
- Facebook: Yoga Nidra Yoga with James
- Offers in person classes, guided meditation, e-books and audiobooks
- Author of “Seven Stages of the Spiritual Journey – Software for the Soul” and “Knowing via Being – You Are That”
Contact:
- Email: james@beingyoga.com
- Phone: +1 902 702 3249
James Traverse focuses on authentic, experiential yoga that goes beyond physical practice to encompass spiritual awakening and self-realization through the non-dual traditions of yoga.
Explore James’s Teaching
Explore spiritual awakening with James Traverse, whose more than 50 years of yoga experience brings self-inquiry to life through the body, breath, and everyday listening.
For an introduction to embodied inquiry and everyday practice, read What Is Being Yoga? Begin with the guide to spiritual awakening for an introduction to the perspective behind Being Yoga. Explore self-inquiry meditation for a practical starting point, or the yoga of listening for bringing awareness into everyday relationships.
For guided practice and teaching enquiries in Halifax, Nova Scotia, visit Being Yoga sessions. More of James’s writing is available at JamesTraverse.com.
New to the teaching? Follow the Start Here learning path, beginning with a short explanation and a five-minute practice.
Original Writing and Teaching Resources
James Traverse’s writing expresses his own inquiry into spiritual awakening, informed by his study of Vedanta, the Upanishads and the teaching of Jean Klein. Seven Stages of the Spiritual Journey is an original work shaped by these influences. His Energy Body Yoga teaching explores embodied sensitivity and direct perception. Visit the Resources library for further reading, including The Qualified Mind.